The present invention relates to an arrangement for filling bottles or similar containers with a liquid filling material under counterpressure.
An arrangement of this general type is disclosed in the filling machine of U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,684. With this known filling machine, each filling element that is provided on a rotating rotor in addition to being provided with a slide disk control means that cooperates with external control elements that do not move along with the rotor and are thus inherently controlled during rotation of the rotor, is also provided with a control valve that can be activated individually and via which a gas path that serves for withdrawing return gas can be individually controlled by an electrical control device. All of the gas flows that are necessary for the known filling machine during the filling process are controlled by the slide disk control means and the control valves, and in particular especially the supply of an inert gas for pre pressurizing the respective bottle as well as the withdrawal of the return gas via the gas path, with this return gas being displaced from the interior of the bottle during the filling process by the filling material that is flowing into the bottle. With the known filling machine, return gas is also used for a partial pressurization and possibly also for a preliminary rinsing of the bottles that precedes this partial pressurization, and in particular via a connection that is provided in each filling element in addition to the gas path and that is controlled by the slide disk control means.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement that has a more straightforward construction with less outlay for control means, yet allows an optimum control of the gas flows that are necessary at least during pressurization and filling.